Heart-sound monitors and esophageal stethoscopes are used to monitor heart sounds and other body functioning sounds. Many of these devices currently available are expensive, fragile, and inefficient to clearly convey the sounds of the body one wishes to accurately monitor.
Moreover, some prior art heart-sound monitors use ultrasound, and therefore the patient is subjected to extended ultrasonic signals. Although to date the use of ultrasound appears to have no adverse effects on the patient, controversy in this area does exist. It would, therefore, appear to be desirable to develop a device to replace the ultrasound apparatus wherein any possible safety issues associated with ultrasonic amplitude and duration can be eliminated.
The present invention has been developed to create a heart-sound monitor and esophageal stethoscope which uses a non-electronic microphone whose sensitivity is greater than that currently available from the present day microphones used in the monitoring art. The invention herein provides for a low cost, rugged and efficient heart monitoring apparatus.